Botanicals...Your cup of tea?

[Tannin Aquatics]

We encourage our customers to prepare all of our aquatic botanicals before use- whether it's by boiling, soaking for an extended period of time- or a combination of both.

Let's face it- some aquarists like the concept of "blackwater." They just don't like the idea of having leaves, seed pods, cones, etc in their tanks.(click to read more)

 

[Becca]

I may have over-done it loading my chocolate and licorice gouramis up on the goodies from my holiday order... Evidence attached.

After a 30% water change I can now see the fish if I look really hard and use a flashlight.

 

[Forester]

Am I correct that they lower ph? How often and how much would you have to use to keep the ph constant? Thanks

Posted via mobile.capitalcichlids.org

 

[Becca]

Am I correct that they lower ph? How often and how much would you have to use to keep the ph constant? Thanks

Posted via mobile.capitalcichlids.org

If you read the entire blog it has some tips on trying different amounts and testing.

They can soften water, which can lower pH and/or make it easier to lower pH and keep it low using chemicals. There's no good answer to your question because it really depends on the hardness of the water you're starting with and what is making it hard.

I started out using oak leaves and actually got some of the Tannin items because they looked like good spawning sites for licorice gouramis. I did not do a post-boil soak because I wanted the tannins that get leached out in that soak to end up in my tank. This is the blackest my water has ever been, though I haven't bothered with a pH test.

Last year when I had Dicrossus and chocolate gourami spawns, each tank had a pH of between 2-4 using oak leaves. It's worth noting, though, that I was also using rain water to fill them. I only bother to test pH when I have spawns, so I can't tell you much about how things impact it.

Adding color like this to the water does make it a little harder to TEST pH reliably, of course...

 

[Tannin Aquatics]

I may have over-done it loading my chocolate and licorice gouramis up on the goodies from my holiday order... Evidence attached.

After a 30% water change I can now see the fish if I look really hard and use a flashlight.

That's a little...dark!" Cool, but dark. The important thing is that the water chemistry is table and the pH is not all over the place. Even with a dark tint, I've been surprised to see pH readings over 6.8 many times!

-Scott

 

[Tannin Aquatics]

If you read the entire blog it has some tips on trying different amounts and testing.

They can soften water, which can lower pH and/or make it easier to lower pH and keep it low using chemicals. There's no good answer to your question because it really depends on the hardness of the water you're starting with and what is making it hard.

I started out using oak leaves and actually got some of the Tannin items because they looked like good spawning sites for licorice gouramis. I did not do a post-boil soak because I wanted the tannins that get leached out in that soak to end up in my tank. This is the blackest my water has ever been, though I haven't bothered with a pH test.

Last year when I had Dicrossus and chocolate gourami spawns, each tank had a pH of between 2-4 using oak leaves. It's worth noting, though, that I was also using rain water to fill them. I only bother to test pH when I have spawns, so I can't tell you much about how things impact it.

Adding color like this to the water does make it a little harder to TEST pH reliably, of course...

Great input here! Also, a digital pH meter makes the color titration tests irrelevant! A bit pricier, but I know what you mean about struggling with the color interpretation!

I love that you're experimenting. I think where hobbyists using these materials get into trouble is that they dump a lot of material into a well-established, stable tank, and the pH plummets, or perhaps a large amount of decomposing material affects oxygenation...lots of possibilities...Like you indicated, we should go slow when playing with botanicals, and enjoy the process!

Thanks for sharing!

Scott

 

[mchambers]

I often use Rooibos tea in my tanks, which adds color and supposedly has antifungal properties and does other good things, but doesn't lower pH. (Maybe Scott should add this to his offerings, hint, hint.)

 

[Tannin Aquatics]

I often use Rooibos tea in my tanks, which adds color and supposedly has antifungal properties and does other good things, but doesn't lower pH. (Maybe Scott should add this to his offerings, hint, hint.)

You're too funny...I just sourced a high quality supplier of Rooibos Tea, and expect to be offering it in the next few weeks! Too many Angelfish people I know were pleading for me to take the lead and get a good supply of it...

Look for it soon!

-Scott

 

[mchambers]

Tea

Funny? I'd say I'm pretty darned good! Or at least lucky.

 

[FishEggs]

did you just jedi-mind-trick him?

 

[mchambers]

Wait until you see what I do at the auction today.

 

[JasonC]

I see a resemblance...